Mechanical musical instrum ent



2 N E S U A H H G A R B A G (No Model.)

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

INVENTOR muflwm Patented Nov ATTORNEYS HE Norms PETERS co. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASNINGTDN', n. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. A. BRACHHA'USEN. MECHANICAL MUSIOAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 593,762. Patented Nov. 16,1897.

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INVENTGR ATTORNEYS THE cams ps'rzas cc. PHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON, my C.

Unrrnn STATES GUSTAV A. BRAOHHAUSEN, OF RAHWAY, NEWV JERSEY.

MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTI SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,762, dated November 16, 189'7.

Application filed June 30, 1897.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAV A. BRAoH- I-IAUSEN, a resident of Rahway, Union county, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanical musical instruments of that character wherein star-wheels are employed to actuate the sound-producing devices and the said invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the construction shown and described in an application filed by me on the 6th day of January, 1897, bearing Serial No. 618,150, and in which I have elected to present generic claims for certain features disclosed herein.

Heretofore various attempts have been made to operate musical instruments wherein star-wheels were employed with perforated disks or sheets; but for many reasons such devices have not been found feasible or practicable.

The object of my invention is to overcome the difficulties heretofore found in this character of devices and to produce a simple and eflicient device wherein a perforated note disk can be employed to effect the operation of the star-wheels.

To this end my invention consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a transverse sectional view of sufficient number of parts of a mechanical musical instrument to illustrate my invention, the parts being shown in normal position. Fig. 2

is a like view of the same with the parts in position when the music-tongue is about to be an abutment or bearing for the free ends of levers or arms B, as shown in Fig. 1. Each of the levers B is preferably of bell-crank form and is pivoted, as indicated at e. The

long arm of each of these levers has a starwheel 0 pivoted thereto, as indicated at f, and a spring 9 bears against the short arm of said lever B and normally maintains the starwheel in contact with the note-sheet D, as indicated in the drawings. The note sheet or disk D is supported in any suitable manner, as upon the perforated standard h, and is maintained in position by suitable means, such as .the antifriction-rollers c', adapted to bear upon the upper side of the note-sheet and maintain it in position on the support h. The free end of each of the levers B, which forms a bearing for the pivot of a star-wheel C, is adapted to rest when in its lowermost position upon an abutment or bearing d, formed upon the star wheel standard, as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be observed that by this construction I provide two series of interlocking starwheels, the star-wheels?) operating to vibrate 1 the sound-producing devices or combs a a when motion is transmitted to them by a starwheel 0 of the upper series when the same is partially rotated by the note-disk D. It will also be seen that by mounting the upper se ries of star-wheels so that each individual star-wheel is rendered movable bodily toward and away from the axis of the lower series of star-wheels I am enabled to prolong the en gagement of the upper star-wheels with the note-disk and at the same time provide absolute rigidity in mounting of the lower series of star-wheels, so that the sound-producing devices or combs a a may be vibrated in a positive manner.

In operation the star-wheels O are caused to normally bear upon the note disk or sheet D, and when an aperture or opening in the note-disk is reached a prong or spur of the star-wheel is forced into the opening by the pressure of the spring 9, and the star-wheel 0 receives a partial rotation, which transmits movement to a star-wheel b, which in turn operates the sounding devices.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatical musical instrument, the combination of sound-producing devices, a plurality of series of interlocking star- Wheels, each of the star-Wheels of one series being capable of movement bodily toward and away from the star-Wheels of the other series and means for effecting the movement of said stanwheels to operate the sound-producing devices. a

2. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of sound-producing devices, a plurality of series of interlocking star-Wheels, each of the star-Wheels of one series being capable of movement bodily toward and away from the star-wheels of the other series and a perforated note-sheet for effecting the move ment of said star-Wheels to operate the sound producing devices.

3. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of sound-producing devices a plurality of series of interlocking star-Wheels, one series of said star-wheels operatin upon the sound-producing devices and a perforated note-sheet adapted to bear directly upon another series of star-wheels, the axis of each of which is movable and each of which is adapt-- ed to communicate motion to a star-Wheel which operates a sound-producing device.

t. In an automatic musical instrinnent, the

combination of soundproducing devices, a

plurality of interlocking star-wheels, each ol? the star-Wheels of one series being pivoted upon a movable arm, While the starwhcels of another series cooperate With the sonnd-pro ducing devices and a perforated note-sheet against which the movable star-wheels are adapted to bear.

5. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination of sound-producing devices, a plurality of series of interlocking, star-wheels, each of the star-Wheels of one series being pivoted upon a springpressed pivoted lever, While the starqvheels of another series coopcrate with the sound'producing devic and. a perforated note-sheet against which the movable star-Wheels are adapted to bear and by means of which motion is transmitted to the said movable star-Wheels.

GUSTAV A. IllACIIIIAUHIEN.

IVitncsses:

CHARLES E. SMITH, GEO. E. Illonsn. 

